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[MAS] Chong Wei LEE [1]
21-19 21-17
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[CHN] Yihan WANG [1]
21-1211-3 Retired
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[MAS] Kien Keat Koo [1] and Boon Heong Tan
21-16 21-17
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[CHN] Xiaoli Wang [2] and Yang (F) Yu
22-20 14-21 21-17
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[CHN] Chen Xu [1] and Jin Ma
21-17 21-17
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Semi final day in Paris seen two new Super Series finalists in Minatsu Mitani and Viktor Axelsen reach their respective singles finals.
Axelsen takes on Liew
It is an unlikely men’s singles final, as Viktor Axelsen takes on Malaysia’s Daren Liew. Jan O Jorgensen was Liew’s victim at the semi final stages with an impressive display of attacking play being simply too strong for the Dane. Axelsen defeated his second seed of the week, disposing of Kenichi Tago in straight games to secure his place in his first Super Series final.
Nehwal against Mitani in Women’s Singles final
The top seeded Nehwal was expected to reach this stage, unlike her opponent in tomorrow’s final who started the week with a victory against Jiang Yanjiao and has gone from strength to strength. Her stunning 21-7, 21-18 victory over Tine Baun was the story of the women’s singles to that point and a victory over another Japanese player, Eriko Hirose booked her place in tomorrow’s final. Nehwal has been impressive in her two most recent matches against Inthanon and Schenk and will go into tomorrow’s final as the undoubted favourite.
Ma Jin Into Two Finals
Ma Jin is looking for back to back titles in both the women’s and mixed doubles to follow up from her Denmark Open triumphs and has reached both finals this week. Ma and Xu are the top seeds in the mixed doubles and defeated Adcock and Bankier to set up a final against Bao and Qiu in an all-Chinese final. Her new partnership with Tang Jinhua hasn’t been beaten to date and defeated their team mates Bao and Zhong for the second week running at the semi final stage to set up a match against Pedersen and Rytter Juhl in the final.
Lee and Ko have bounced back from their opening round loss in Denmark to reach the final in Paris this week and take on the Thai pairing of Issara and Jongjit for the men’s doubles title. The 7th seeded Thai pair defeated Hong and Shen of China in their semi final whilst Lee and Ko won their all-Korean semi final against Kim and Kim to book their place in the final.
Saturday’s Results
Lin Dan Repeats Olympic GoldWith six medals still on offer, the final day of Olympic badminton promised to be special. China were assured of two medals with the possibility of three as Lin Dan defended his Olympic title in another classic.
Lin Dan Claims Gold
The 2011 meeting in this arena between Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei was widely considered to the greatest match ever played. The 2012 meeting for Olympic gold will definitely be a contender to that title. An animated Lee Chong Wei took the opening game as a lackluster Lin Dan made several critical areas as the Malaysian dominated at the net. The second game was a role reversal, with the drift inside the arena playing it’s part over the first two games.
The third game had everything you could ever wish for, long pulsating rallies and two of the best players of this or any generation retrieving shots that nobody thought possible. Lin Dan turned 11-9 up, but the ascendancy changed throughout the second game, with Lee Chong Wei taking an 18-16 lead as Malaysia hoped for gold. Lin Dan replied with the play that won him Olympic gold in Beijing four years previously. The score became 19-19 after the Malaysia left a lift that landed on the line, with Lin Dan going on an all-out attack to claim the first gold medal point.
The rally drew comparisons with Lin Dan’s match point a year previously, pushing deep into Lee Chong Wei’s forehand rear before a tight net shot from Lin Dan forced a high lift from the Malaysian that Lin Dan watched out of the back of the court before sprinting off court in celebration with the Chinese coaches in his wake. Lee Chong Wei remained on court to be consoled by his coaches. Lin Dan claimed his second gold medal 15-21, 21-10, 21-19 in 79 minutes.
Chen Long claimed the bronze medal in a three game victory over Lee Hyun Il to ensure an 8th medal out of a possible 15.
Cai and Fu Win Gold
The men’s doubles final was between Cai and Fu of China against Boe and Mogensen of Denmark, who defeated the world number 1 pairing of Lee and Chung, won had already won the bronze medal in the morning session. The match was competitive, but there was only going to be one winner as the Danish pair had already played their final in the semi finals in beating Lee and Chung. The 21-15, 21-16 score was an accurate representation of the match as a whole, with the Chinese pairing just too strong for the Danes.
The win ensured a clean sweep of the medals for China, with four new gold medalists in Li Xuerui, Cai and Fu, Tian and Zhao Yunlei, who claimed two golds, one in the women’s doubles and another in the mixed with Zhang Nan.
Day 9 Results
The hope of four titles for the Japanese was ended on semi final day, as three of the five remaining Japanese hopes ended on a day that seen all but two seeds progress to the finals of the five events.
Hirose Into Final
Eriko Hirose was one of the few success stories for the home fans as se defeated Porntip Buranaprasertsuk in three games to reach the women’s singles final against Tai Tzu Ying. The Chinese Taipei player defeated the higher seeded Sung Ji Hyun of Korea in three games to book her place in the final and a fifth meeting between the two, with the unseeded Hirose winning their previous 2 matches.
Lee Chong Wei will take on the unseeded Boonsak Ponsana in the men’s singles final, with the top seeded Malaysian defeating Simon Santoso in an impressive one-sided semi final taking just 32 minutes. Ponsana defeated on the on-form Hu Yun of Hong Kong in three games to set up the opportunity to take his third victory over Lee Chong Wei in what will be their 16th meeting.
Seeds Too Strong In Doubles
Six seed remain in the doubles, with the 2nd seeded Koo and Tan taking on the 7th seeded Kim and Kim in the men’s doubles final after both secured straight forward two game victories in their semi final. The lower seeded pair of Kim and Kim won their only other meeting between the two, winning in Malaysia at the start of the year in three games.
Matsuo and Naito are Japan’s second chance of a title tomorrow, with the pair taking on Poon and Tse of Hong Kong who defeated their team mates Maeda and Suetsuna in their semi final. It will be their fourth meeting in tomorrow’s final, with the Japanese pairing leading the head to head 2-1 but the Hong Kong pair took the last meeting in March at the All Englands.
Chan and Goh are the last of the top seeds left in the doubles and reached tomorrow’s final with a two game victory over Japan’s Kamura and Yonemoto. Their opponents in the final will be Rijal and Natsir, who defeated Ikeda and Shiota in the other semi final in a one-sided matchup lasting just 24 minutes. It will be the their first meeting as the Indonesian pair have only formed at this event and will hope to the perfect start to their partnership.
Saturday’s Results
The day begun with Cai and Fu reaching the men’s doubles Olympic final and ended with a pair of gold medals for China with the injury of Wang Xin the only low point in a day riddled with success for the Chinese.
Gold For Li Xuerui
The form player in 2012 justified her selection for the Olympics ahead of Wang Shixian and won China’s second gold in two days. It was talent over willpower in the women’s singles match, with Wang Yihan’s talent failing to defeat Li Xuerui’s will to win in a three-game classic. Saina Nehwal claimed the bronze medal, but not in the way the Indian would have hoped as Wang Xin retired at the beginning of the second game after claiming the opening game. A knee-injury hindered Wang Xin’s movement before she crumbled on court after the opening point in the second game that forced her into retirement and gave Nehwal the bronze medal.
Tian and Zhao Claims Women’s Doubles Gold
There was a Chinese winner in the women’s doubles, but not the pair that many expected. With the group stage farce decimating the draw, it was the 2nd seeded Tian and Zhao who claimed gold – with Zhao Yunlei winning her second gold of the Olympics after her mixed doubles success. An easy first game victory for the Chinese required a response from the Japanese pairing of Fujii and Kakiiwa to ensure there wasn’t a Chinese rout. A tighter second game ensued, but the Chinese eventually took the second game 25-23 to ensure China’s third gold. Sorokina and Vislova took the bronze medal, after a one-sided victory over the Canadian pair of Bruce and Li.
Boe and Mogensen stun Lee and Chung
The “dream final” in the men’s doubles was put on hold for at least four years by the Danish pair of Boe and Mogensen who defeated Lee and Chung in a sensation men’s doubles semi final which will be a contender for match of the tournament. The Korean pair took an early lead, claiming the first game only for the Danes to respond and take the second game. After squandering a match point, Boe and Mogensen earned a second match point and a Mogensen lift was left by Lee Yong Dae, only for the shuttle to hit the lead and send the Danes into tomorrow’s final. Cai and Fu will be their opponents tomorrow, after the Chinese pair defeated Koo and Tan in a one-sided semi final that the Chinese pair took with their third match point to ensure their second successive Olympic final.
Day 8 Results:
http://www.london2012.com/badminton/schedule-and-results/day=4-august/all-day.html
It was a day that seen the top seeds progress without much resistance, apart from the shock exit of Olympic champion Li Xuerui.
Sindhu Shocks Li Xuerui
There will be at least one finalist from the home nation in the men’s singles, with Chen Long and Du Pengyu securing their place in the last 4 against one another. Ajay Jayaram and Hu Yun meet each other in the second semi final and their first meeting in over 3 years.
An all-Chinese is still possible in the women’s singles also, but it is not the expected pair that might meet in Sunday’s final. P.V. Sindhu stunned the 2nd seed and Olympic champion Li Xuerui in three games to book her place in the last 4 against another Chinese player – the 4th seeded Jiang Yanjiao. Top seeded Wang Yihan takes on Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand in the second semi final, with their only meeting to date resulting in a two game victory for the world number 1.
Chinese Pairs Loom Large In Doubles
There is a massive Chinese presence in the semi final stages of all three doubles events, with a guaranteed finalist in the men’s doubles as Hong and Shen, seeded 2nd take on the unseeded pair of Chai and Zhang for a place in Sunday’s final. Endo and Hayakawa take on the Thai pairing of Jongjit and Issara in the second semi final for the second time, with the Japanese pairing winning their previous encounter.
Only three matches were needed to reach the semi final stages of the women’s doubles, with top seeded Bao and Zhong needing three games to progress into a semi final match against Goh and Lim of Malaysia. The second semi final sees the 3rd seeded Naito and Matsuo of Japan take on the 5th seeded Cheng and Luo of China, who received a walkover in their quarter final match to reach this stage without playing a match this week.
The top 3 seeds in the mixed doubles have all successfully reached the semi final stage, with the top seeded Ma and Xu taking on Chan and Goh of Malaysia for the third time – with their most recent match at the Olympics being a one-sided win for the Chinese pairing. The second semi final sees Prapakamol and Thoungthongkam taking on the unseeded pair of Qiu and Tang of China, ranked 164th in the world. It will be their first meeting as the Chinese pairing is a relatively new one, with this event being their 3rd event together.
Day 4 Results
The hope that at least one title would remain in Japan ended on finals day as Lee Chong Wei returned to winning form after his Olympic heartbreak as Eriko Hirose came within a game of the women’s singles title.
Lee Chong Wei Claims Title
It was a triumphant return to action for Lee Chong Wei in Japan as he cruised to the men’s singles title without the loss of a game for the entire week. His victory over Boonsak Ponsana was the closest of his five matches this week but the victory was never in doubt as the Malaysian won 21-18, 21-18.
Eriko Hirose took the opening game in the women’s singles final 21-9 over Tai Tzu Ying to put herself within a game of the title only for the Chinese Taipei player to reverse the scoreline in the second game. Hirose never recovered and never led in the third game as the 5th seed won the third game 21-14 to take the women’s singles title.
Koo and Tan Beaten
The 2nd seeded Koo and Tan were defeated in two games by the Korean pair of Kim and Kim in the quickest of the five finals, with Koo and Tan never looking like taking either of the games as the 7th seeds took the men’s doubles title. Chan and Goh ensured a second title for Malaysia in the mixed doubles with a two game victory over the new Indonesian partnership of Rijal and Natsir.
The women’s doubles final offered Japan’s best chance of a title as the 4th seede Matsuo and Naito took on Poon and Tse of Hong Kong. At 15-15 in the first game, the Japanese pair gave up four points without reply to give away the opening game. At 16-16 in the second game, they claimed a precious lead ay 17-16 only to fall behind and after saving one match point, they allowed the Hong Kong pair to win another 2 points without reply to claim the women’s doubles title.
Finals Day Results
